Page:A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force.djvu/41

Left, the mainstay of Allied victory in Asia, the rapidly-developed Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, not deployed in Europe, but saved to surprise the Japanese. It had both the longer range and the capacity to carry the atomic bomb to the heart of Japan itself from bases on formerly enemy-held southern Pacific islands.

Right, the North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, strengthened with more firepower by General Kenney's great innovator, Major Paul "Pappy" Gunn, and used as a highly effective ship buster and skip bomber.

Left, the sturdy Douglas A-20 Havoc. More A-20s were procured by the USAAF than any other attack-type aircraft. They saw service in Europe and North Africa but played a vital role in the Pacific dropping "parafrags" (fragmentation bombs attached to parachutes) from low altitude.

Right, the distinctively silhouetted, long-range, twin-engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. In mass production before the United States entered the war, it served escort duty in Europe, North Africa, and, as early as 1942, in the Southwest Pacific.

Left, the Curriss P-40 Warhawk fighter, associated with the exploits of the American Volunteer Group's (AVG's) famous Flying Tigers The AVG began operating from bases in western China against the Japanese before the United States entered the war. The aircraft's decorative shark's teeth are recognized the world over.